Ruby Locket

I definitely prefer unusual jewelry to the standard diamond on a gold chain, and this ruby locket from Signals certainly caught my eye. According to the description, it has a 1/4 inch faceted ruby, hand set in a sterling bezel (whatever that is!). The hinged locket itself is 1 1/8 inches and has a safety clasp, and it comes on an 18 inch sterling chain. I guess it attracts me because it looks like it could have a mysterious and interesting story attached to it..... In any case, it's definitely a luxury item, but with the ruby it would also make a really unusual Valentine's Day gift.

What: Ruby Locket
Where: Signals.com
How much (as of today's post): $69.95 (plus shipping)

Chalkboard Heart Paperweight

Oh, I wish I'd seen this in time for Valentine's Day last month! This clever paperweight is ceramic but the surface imitates a chalkboard, and it has an attached piece of chalk on a string to write a love message to your sweetheart. It's 4.25 inches wide, 3.75 inches long, and 1.5 inches tall, and comes in a gift box. Since we're now post-Valentine's season, it's on sale: originally $12.95, now $10.36, and $9.32 for members of the New York Public Library.

What: Chalkboard Heart Paperweight
Where: The Library Shop (NY Public Library)
How much (as of today's post): $10.36 ($9.32 for members) (on sale from $12.95) (plus shipping)

Mini Kokeshi Doll Earrings

These miniature kokeshi doll earrings are so sweet they make my teeth ache! I found them on a fun website called ShanaLogic, which features a lot of Asian-inspired and punk/goth-inspired merchandise. The earrings are made of acrylic with silver-plated metal posts, and measure .14 mm tall. They're handmade and coated for durability, and come in a clear container. I wish I'd seen these before Valentine's Day since they would make a cute Valentine's gift! But of course red is also a Christmas color, so they're a perfect stocking stuffer for a girl!

What: Mini Kokeshi Doll Earrings
Where: ShanaLogic.com
How much (as of today's post): $9.00 (plus shipping)

Last Minute DIY Gifts/Greetings for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are links to a few last minute, do it yourself Valentine's Day gifts and greetings:

• A pretty Valentine's Day necklace for a little girl (or for you to help a little girl make) from beads and toilet paper rolls, courtesy of the Filth Wizardry blog.
  
  
• A simple but pretty and elegant "bag of hearts" Valentine's Day card, from Kabobbing Cards.
  
  
• Some adorable paper cup gift or treat boxes, from the Zakka Life blog.

I can't believe it's Valentine's Day already! Wasn't Christmas just last week?

Ladies of Star Wars Playing Cards

Still at the science fiction convention, so..... today's stocking stuffer: the Ladies of Star Wars playing cards! This set features all the lovely beauties from all the Star Wars movies. And although this seems odd, I'm not joking when I say that any man at this sci-fi convention would love to get these cards for Valentine's Day!

What: Ladies of Star Wars Playing Cards
Where: ThinkGeek.com (where else?!)
How much (as of today's post): $4.99 (plus shipping)

Fortune Cookie Message Kit

I don't know what's going on with my memory, but yesterday was the second Wednesday in a row that I forgot to post the usual food stocking stuffer / gift. I think it's because during the busy lead-up to Christmas, I was scheduling many posts in advanced and I was much more organized. Now I'm a bit of a slacker and I'm getting my posts done day by day.

I should make up for it by doing a Valentine's food post today, but I'm not in the mood, so instead here is this Fortune Cookie Message Kit -- pretend food! This is the kind of little kit you'll find in the spinner racks at the front of Barnes & Noble or Borders. I always find that those little mini boxes and kits are of mixed quality and interest to me, but I do like this one: a fortune cookie box that comes with a little book of tear-out fortunes and messages that you can choose from to hide for a loved one. You can also write your own, of course!

Of course, it's not as fancy as the bejeweled fortune cookie box from Things Remembered that I posted way back in November 2008, but since that was $25.00 and this one is only $8.95, it's definitely more affordable!

What: Fortune Cookie Message Kit
Where: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.
How much (as of today's post): $8.95

Bubble Baker Very Cherry Soap Tart

Here's a sweet yet non-fattening Valentine's Day treat: a Bubble Baker Very Cherry Soap Tart from the Pretty Like Me website. This heart-shaped "tart" is 4 oz of soap that smells like a fresh-baked cherry tart but contains moisturizing ingredients including glycerin, coconut oil, palm oil, castor oil, and safflower oil.

(If you do visit the Pretty Like Me website, they also have a gift section with a category of gifts under $10. Lots of cute stuff there!)

What: Bubble Baker Very Cherry Soap Tart
Where: Pretty Like Me website
How much (as of today's post): $4.99 (plus shipping)

Heart Chopsticks

I do not know why, but it is next to impossible to find Paperchase Products -- and images of them -- online. They have so many stocking-stuffer suitable gifts at Borders and at stationery stores, but for the life of me I can never locate them online. So, the heart chopsticks pictured above, although also lovely, are not the ones I originally wanted to post about. The ones I saw in Borders yesterday were by Paperchase, and they were pink and red plastic chopsticks that tapered down from a heart shape at the top to traditional chopsticks at the bottom. They were less than $5 for a nice boxed set.

Since going out to dinner on Valentine's Day does not always yield the hoped-for experience, I think having some heart chopsticks on hand and surprising your sweetie with Chinese take-out is a wonderful idea, especially if you put the food on your best dishes and make sure there is candlelight!

(The heart chopsticks above are also very nice; they're actually listed on the Las Vegas Wedding Favors website at $1.60, but that's at a minimum quantity of 50 pairs! So probably not the way to go, but you can still shop around online, or go to Borders in person, if you think that heart chopsticks are a good idea.)

What: Heart Chopsticks
Where: Borders stores or various places online
How much (as of today's post): varies

Heart-shaped Goodies Box

Oops! Yesterday was Wednesday, which means I was supposed to do a food stocking stuffer post. That'll teach me to pay attention to what I'm doing! So here is a cute little heart-shaped goodies box from Harry & David that goes a little beyond the usual box of chocolates. It contains bing cherry chocolates, which is something of a signature item for Harry & David, plus mint chocolates, a white chocolate raspberry dessert square, and two raspberry shortbread cookie with heart cutouts. It certainly looks elegant enough for a special occasion, don't you think?

What: Heart-shaped Goodies Box
Where: Harry & David website or stores
How much (as of today's post): $12.95 (plus shipping)

Handmade Seed Paper Heart Ornament

I love this handmade paper heart ornament that is embedded with Forget-Me-Not seeds! When you're done displaying it, or even restringing it to wear as a necklace on Valentine's Day, you simply soak the ornament in water and then plant it, either indoors or out. The paper is 100% biodegradable and will recycle into the planting soil, and the seeds will germinate in about two weeks. What's not to love?

The ornament itself is 2 7/8 inches high and about 2 2/3 inches at its widest. With the string, it measures about 6 3/8 inches high.

What: Handmade Seed Paper Heart Ornament
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $4.00 (plus shipping)

Round-up of 3 DIY Valentine's Day Ideas

It seems like everyone out there is getting more and more creative with the do-it-yourself gift ideas. Maybe it's because the economy still isn't too perky, and necessity is the motherhood of invention. In any case, here are links to my three favorite DIY Valetine's Day gifts (which are technically not off-topic because two of these are small enough to be stocking stuffers and can easily be adapted for Christmas!).

• A melted crayon heart card from Craftzine.com
  
  
• A Valentine's Day votive made from dollar store materials and Modge Pod, from the Charlotte's Fancy blog
  
  
• My absolute favorite, an amazing little "52 Things I Love About You" personalized book made from a deck of cards and two binder rings, as shown on the Trans-craft-inental blog. I will definitely be attempting this one in time for Valentine's Day, and will hopefully have a result for which I can post photos!

So, have you found any terrific Valentine's DIY projects this year?

Conversation Hearts Magnet

Here we are at the end of January, so that means Valentine's Day is not far away! I don't think of it as a big gift giving holiday, but my mom always got us a little candy and some small trinket. My favorite was always the conversation hearts. I always like non-chocolate candy the best anyway, and I loved reading each heart to see what it said.

Thankfully for my waistline, I've lost most of my sweet tooth as I've grown up, but I still like to get one small box of candy hearts. If I ever wanted to forgo those, here's a substitute that keeps the tradition without the sugar: a conversation hearts magnet. It's from Paper House Productions and measures 3.2" x 4.8". The size and the price are just right for a small Valentine's gift for a child or a friend.

What: Conversation Hearts Magnet
Where: FridgeDoor.com or store (Borders?) that carries Paper House Products
How much (as of today's post): $2.99 (plus shipping)

Maple Syrup

When I was growing up in New Jersey, my parents took us on vacation to Vermont a few times, and one of the big treats there was the maple syrup (and maple sugar candy, of course!). A little bottle of maple syrup would make a lovely stocking stuffer or small gift -- in fact, when my husband travels to Japan on business, he always takes several little bottles with him to give as gifts to his work colleagues over there.

Looking online, I found a nice little source called Carmen Brook Maple and Dairy Farm. They offer several different grades of maple syrup in several different bottle shapes and sizes, including, of course, maple-leaf shaped bottles! They also have heart-shaped bottles -- I can picture that for a Valentine's Day breakfast in bed or brunch, especially since Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday this year. The prices range from $3.25 for a 1.7 oz maple leaf bottle to $4.90 for a 1.7 oz heart bottle and on up for larger bottles.

Now I'm hungry for pancakes....

What: Maple Syrup
Where: Carmen Brook Maple and Dairy Farm
How much (as of today's post): $3.25 and up (plus shipping)

Merry Maraschino Cherries

Although the word "merry" implies Christmas, these Merry Maraschino Cherries aren't really seasonal -- I think they were just going for alliteration in the name! In any case, what draws me to these cherries as a stocking stuffer is that they do not have artificial colors, artificial flavors, sulfites, and preservatives. Honestly, I'm not sure I would recognize the taste as maraschino cherries, since I associate the kind you get at the grocery store with the most artificial taste in the world.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that they're red and have the word "merry"! They'd be wonderful for Christmas, but don't forget that another "red" holiday is coming up: Valentine's Day. These would be nice in a romantic little gift basket.

What: Merry Maraschino Cherries
Where: Tillen Farms website
How much (as of today's post): $6.99 (plus shipping)

Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam

Doesn't this look, and sound, decadent and luxurious? It's raspberry peach champagne jam from Stonewall Kitchen, via the Sur la Table website It would be perfect for a romantic breakfast or brunch for two, on top of french toast, English muffins, croissants, waffles, pancakes.... The product description also notes that it can used as a garnish on ice cream or cheesecake, or even stirred into brownie batter. The jar is 13 oz. and looks simple and elegant at the same time.

What: Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam
Where: Sur la Table website
How much (as of today's post): $7.50 (plus shipping)

Edible Wild Hibiscus Flowers

I swear I'm not making this up! You can buy a jar of edible wild hibiscus flowers from (of all places) the Think Geek website. Each 8.8 ounce jar has at least eleven full flowers; the only other ingredients besides hibiscus are cane sugar and water. The website, being all geeky and all, describes them as looking like baby Cthulhu, but they also say they're delicious and taste just a little bit like raspberry.

You have to admit they would certainly make a most unusual stocking stuffer! They'd do pretty well for Valentine's Day, too, don't you think? I love the way it looks at the bottom of the champagne glass....

What: Edible Wild Hibiscus Flowers
Where: Think Geek website
How much (as of today's post): $9.99 (plus shipping)

Tweetie Bird Coasters

Etsy has many types of drink coasters available, including crocheted, quilted, or otherwise stitched. I generally prefer ceramic coasters myself, though, so I was glad to see these coasters by Etsy seller ShoopTiles32. I love the simple graphic design! The 4 x 4" coasters are sealed with polyurethane, and have cork feet to protect your table tops.

There are lots of other designs, including a little deer, an owl, and even a pair of lovebirds suitable for Valentine's Day. There's also a set with a monogrammed initial that would be great for a small wedding shower gift. If black-and-white isn't your thing, there's a pretty set of tropical flower coasters in teal and orange with white graphics. The price is $12.50 plus shipping for a set of four, making these not just nicer, but also possibly cheaper than you'd find in a traditional store.

What: Tweetie Bird Coasters
Where: ShoopTiles32 (an Etsy shop)
How much (as of today's post): $12.50 (plus shipping)

Last Minute Valentine's Day Gifts

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you've gotten caught unprepared, believe it or not there is still time to put a little something together for your loved one. Photos celebrating your relationship will always be welcome, and there are several different options for how to go about it. One way is to get a flash drive and load it up with your favorite photos -- and why not a red or pink flash drive while you're at it? This SanDisk Gator flash drive comes in red, pink, and black, and it comes in three sizes: 2GB for $14.99, 4GB for $27.99, and 8GB for $49.99. (As an aside, it astounds me that for $14.99, you can get a device with far more memory than my first Apple McIntosh computer had -- a measly 40M hard drive!)

It's too late to order one of these online, of course, but the SanDisk website helpfully provides a "find a retailer" link that indicates their products are carried by Sears, RadioShack, Best Buy, Office Depot, GameStop, Fry's, and EB Games. (Best of all, those won't be the stores jam-packed on Valentine's Day!) Even if they don't have these exact flash drives, they'll have others to choose from, and if you can't find pink or red, standard silver will work just fine. The nice thing about this gift is that it's both romantic (as long as you load it up with photos) and practical.

Or you can go the old-fashioned route of printed photos, with up-to-date convenience. Most people are using digital cameras these days, and we often don't bother to get prints anymore, which is kind of a shame. So you can either print your own if you have a photo-quality printer and photo paper, or you can upload a bunch of photos to either the Walgreens or CVS websites, pick up the prints in an hour, and buy an inexpensive photo album while you're there. You might get the kind that's small enough to fit in a purse or a laptop case so your partner can carry it around. If you have kids or pets, include some photos of them as well.

If you're crafty, another last-minute idea is a homemade "Valentine's pocket full of vouchers". I came across this idea on the FaveCrafts blog, in a post by guest-blogger Helen Bradley. I've seen the idea of giving homemade coupons before, but Helen has really put them together in an attractive package by utilizing heart-shaped stamps, hole-punches, and ribbons (follow the link for some images).

Even if you aren't crafty, you could take a simple manila envelope, make it up as if it's a love letter by addressing it and tying a red ribbon around it, and tuck some vouchers, a Valentine's Day card, and some photos inside. Vouchers can be for anything your partner will appreciate, such as "Take a night off from the kitchen!"; "You drink, I'll drive...." (another of Helen's ideas); "You choose the movie"; or "I'll take the kids out all day Saturday." Make them unique to fit your loved one's personality.

Swarovski Heart Ware USB Memory Key

This is much more expensive than the type of products I normally feature, but for this last Friday before Valentine's Day, I wanted to feature a "luxury" item that could be purchased in person, as opposed to online. And this USB memory drive has the added bonus of truly being two gifts in one: a Valentine-themed pendant that's pretty in its simplicity and a practical 1GB flash drive. If pink isn't your (or her) thing, it also comes with a silver-shaded clear crystal and a beige silk cord.

Our mall happens to have a Swarovski store, but even if yours doesn't, many of the better department stores carry the Swarovski line. I don't know for sure that they'll have this pendant/USB drive, but you can always call ahead to make sure you don't waste a trip. (Not that I really expect that people reading this blog are really going to spend this much on a Valentine's Day gift!)

Tomorrow's post will feature just the opposite: inexpensive last minute Valentine's Day ideas. But today is Friday, so it's all about the luxury!

What: Swarovski Heart Ware USB Memory Key
Where: Swarovski stores
How much (as of today's post): $180

Personalized Heart-Shaped Compact Mirror

Valentine's Day is Real Close Now, so the time for ordering online is just about past. Fortunately, you can always count on stores like Things Remembered to have something appropriate. I don't like all of their merchandise as some of it seems overly gaudy to me, but this simple heart-shaped compact mirror is just right. It comes in a red pouch suitable for Valentine's Day, and you can have it engraved with initials or a longer message if you like.

This also seems to be a nice Valentine's gift for early in a relationship -- romantic but not pushy, if that makes sense. (And it would also be great for an anniversary gift with the anniversary date engraved into it.)

What: Personalized Heart-Shaped Compact Mirror
Where: Things Remembered
How much (as of today's post): $14.99 (sale price, plus engraving if desired)